The initiative intended to protect children in India against cyber-crime kicks off today at the hands of founder Eugene Kaspersky and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar

At an event held in Ryan International School Group’s campus in Mumbai, Kaspersky announced the program under which all affiliate schools will support Kaspersky Lab’s efforts to educate their students towards a safer Internet experience.

Kaspersky Lab will deliver online safety education through various touch points, including a daily blog (Kaspersky Daily) for parents, online newsletter created especially for young audiences, training modules that can be administered by the school’s computer instructors, and on-ground engagement events and contests. To make the deal sweeter, the kids will stand a chance to win special Sachin Tendulkar autographed goodies by participating in these contests.

At a time when Kaspersky’s own research showed that 46.6% of minors in India have at some point attempted to browse pornography, this initiative becomes all the more relevant. It should help, in some way, to put parents' fear and anxiety of their wards' early exposure of the web to rest.

The mascot for the campaign Green Bear with Eugene Kaspersky and Sachin Tendulkar

Striking a chord with the kids and giving easy to understand cricketing analogies Sachin explained similarities between how a baller tries to attack batsmen the same way malware keeps constantly attacking computer systems. Sachin also announced the auction of one of his signed bats to support the cause of creating awareness among kids. “As parents, we are not just worried about the well-being and safety of our children in the real world but also in the online world,” he said.

Throwing his weight behind Kaspersky's initiative, Mr. Ryan Pinto, CEO, Ryan International Group of Schools said that his group will ensure all their students across 16 states and 40 cities are aware of the essential dos and don’ts of being on the Internet.

Unlike the previous generation, Gen Zero being born into digital age with exposure to Web and the Internet at a very early age, Kaspersky and Ryan International's partnership towards educating young children about the malware and security aspect of the medium is a good step towards a more wholesome and secure cyber experience.

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